Does school size really matter?

[EmeraldCityEagle98]

Only 5% of the smaller schools made it past the 2nd round. Statistics.

The teams that don't make excuses are still playing. Stats or not it's still an excuse however way you wanna look at it.

[FootballFan4343]

ABBEVILLE has less than 500 students.
if they were playing 3a or 4a teams
they would beat most of them every
year.they would hang with most 5a teams
some years.i have watched them play many
times over the last 54 years.very seldom
do they have a bad season.the talent just
keeps coming year after year.some of the
kids playing for them now i remember when
there daddy's played.nothing fancy,they just
run the ball and wear teams out.

I do not know the specifics of Abbeville as I do not follow them. However, you can't make a blanket statement and say if Abbeville was playing 3A or 4A they would beat most of them every year. The reason you can't say that is there is so much more that goes into it. Size does matter in terms of depth. Before you come at me with the fact that Abbeville has 70 or so players, which equals many 4A teams, read the points below.

First off. If Abbeville had to play a 3A or 4A schedule, even if they won most of the games, they probably wouldn't be winning state championships every year. So, this would effect the turnout for "depth". Kids who sit the bench and know they have no chance of playing are unlikely to stay on the team if they don't feel confident they will get a "ring". Instead, they will move to another sport where they have a real chance of being on the field.
Secondly. If Abbeville played a 3A or 4A schedule, they would have more injuries as it is likely they are playing against teams with just as many, if not more "athletes" and bigger players. So, that in turn would make them lose more games than they currently do, which in turn makes less players come out for football.
Third. Your reason for Abbeville beating teams is you state they run the ball and "wear teams out". Of course that works when they have so much more depth than their opponents. (again because they win championships all the time, their turnout to play football is higher than other similarly size schools). Abbeville would struggle to run the ball over and wear out many 3A and 4A teams.
In closing, I am not saying Abbeville couldn't win 7-8 games per year in 3A, but to expect them to just "run teams over" or win state titles every year at the 3A or 4A level is a pipe dream. They might beat Hartsville in a one off game or something like that (as they have done before). But to do it week after week and continue their same dominance, that just wouldn't happen.

[FootballFan4343]

All it takes is 23 good athletes, 11 on offense, and 11 on defense, and a good kicker and a good coach, even less then that if you have some players that play both ways, and if they are well trained athletes they should be able to go 4 Quarters no problem.

Incorrect. You need much more than that as there will be injuries galore that take its toll. While athletes and coaching are important, quality depth is just as important. That was an issue your Stallions had this year. Not much depth on the defensive side of the ball. When a starter came out, there was a dramatic drop in skill set.

[Wildstallion2]

South Pointe's Depth on their Defense was not the problem this season, the problem was the New Defense Coach, that three man front that he ran all season kept teams like the Rock hill Bearcats in the game, and it finally caught up with us in the play-offs. You need more than three defensive lineman when playing against a running offense, and a running Quarterback threat.

[Penguin]

The key to a successful High School football program is having a coach, or coaches, who can connect with the kids at the school and motivate them to participate. Once you have that, then you motivate them to work hard in the off season with weights, conditioning, and honing their skills. If you have that kind of coaching staff, you will have a successful program, not just a successful team. The more players that you get involved, the more parents that will get involved. That translates to having the community get involved. Add in some winning, and you have what you are looking for. Unfortunately, most School Boards do not understand the benefits of having a winning football program, and when a coach manages to get things going, another district comes a calling offering more money and the local Board just lets them walk rather than retaining them. These are the things that MOST schools struggle with, not actual enrollment numbers.

[GwoodEagle2k1]

The key to a successful High School football program is having a coach, or coaches, who can connect with the kids at the school and motivate them to participate. Once you have that, then you motivate them to work hard in the off season with weights, conditioning, and honing their skills. If you have that kind of coaching staff, you will have a successful program, not just a successful team. The more players that you get involved, the more parents that will get involved. That translates to having the community get involved. Add in some winning, and you have what you are looking for. Unfortunately, most School Boards do not understand the benefits of having a winning football program, and when a coach manages to get things going, another district comes a calling offering more money and the local Board just lets them walk rather than retaining them. These are the things that MOST schools struggle with, not actual enrollment numbers.

This is an excellent point. While numbers may play a significant role in regards to depth, keeping the kids interested is the key. If kids are interested in something they naturally work harder.

[FootballFan4343]

South Pointe's Depth on their Defense was not the problem this season, the problem was the New Defense Coach, that three man front that he ran all season kept teams like the Rock hill Bearcats in the game, and it finally caught up with us in the play-offs. You need more than three defensive lineman when playing against a running offense, and a running Quarterback threat.

I am sure your point is true, but your point actually could be because of the point I made about depth. The reason they may have ran a 3 man front is because they didn't feel they had enough quality depth to run a 4 man front. I would imagine that Coach Herron (being a defensive coach) would have overruled the DC if he felt that it was the wrong decision, based on the personnel they had.
So, while you are probably right about the 3-4 causing issues, that could easily be explained by lack of quality DL depth.

[eagle93]

All it takes is 23 good athletes, 11 on offense, and 11 on defense, and a good kicker and a good coach, even less then that if you have some players that play both ways, and if they are well trained athletes they should be able to go 4 Quarters no problem.

I agree. I've seen it regularly, just not lately at my school. Your boys could beat most teams in the state most years. Forget about it being 4A

[eagle93]

The key to a successful High School football program is having a coach, or coaches, who can connect with the kids at the school and motivate them to participate. Once you have that, then you motivate them to work hard in the off season with weights, conditioning, and honing their skills. If you have that kind of coaching staff, you will have a successful program, not just a successful team. The more players that you get involved, the more parents that will get involved. That translates to having the community get involved. Add in some winning, and you have what you are looking for. Unfortunately, most School Boards do not understand the benefits of having a winning football program, and when a coach manages to get things going, another district comes a calling offering more money and the local Board just lets them walk rather than retaining them. These are the things that MOST schools struggle with, not actual enrollment numbers.

Another person that has it right. I agree. I've seen it.

[eagle93]

Why isn't Wando in the playoffs? Largest school in the state, should have football championship galore based on the enrollment thought.